The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is urging government to accelerate investment in irrigation and agricultural storage infrastructure, warning that Ghana’s dependence on rain-fed farming continues to undermine agro-processing and industrial growth.
According to the Association, the country’s inability to guarantee year-round agricultural production is forcing manufacturers to rely on imports for raw materials that could be sourced locally, limiting efforts to build resilient value chains.
The Sector Chair for Cosmetics at AGI and CEO of Debbies Products Limited, Moses Atobrah, said Ghana’s agricultural sector remains vulnerable because production is still heavily dependent on weather conditions.
“We still depend on the sun and the rain for agriculture. We should be depending on irrigation so we can farm all year round,” he stated.
Mr. Atobrah argued that seasonal shortages continue to create supply disruptions for both consumers and manufacturers.
“What happens is today it’s raining, in the next three months there’s a lot of tomatoes, the next season it’s not raining and we have to import tomatoes from Burkina. When they ban it, it’s a problem. Then they ban it and we have to send delegations to go and beg,” he said.
According to him, targeted policy interventions could significantly increase private investment in agriculture and reduce the country’s dependence on food imports.
“Government can easily help this by saying, look, farmers, if you are bringing irrigation materials for the next two years, no import duty. Simple decisions like that and people look for their own money and bring these things to feed us,” he explained.
The AGI executive also highlighted post-harvest losses and inadequate storage infrastructure as major constraints to agro-industrial development.
He disclosed that some food processing companies continue to import maize despite local production because poor storage conditions often render domestic supplies unsuitable for industrial use.
“I have friends in some leading cereal or food processing companies right here in Ghana who tell me they still import maize,” he revealed.
Mr. Atobrah attributed the situation to the absence of adequate storage facilities, noting that locally produced maize is frequently affected by aflatoxin contamination.
He therefore called for increased investment in silos and modern storage systems through institutions such as the National Buffer Stock Company to preserve harvests, support agro-processors and strengthen Ghana’s food security.
